Machine for making expanded sheet metal.



l. G. HUBBARD & W. R WILSON. MACHINE FOR MAKING EXPANDED SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION mm JULY 2. ms.

1,163,924. Patented Dec.14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEiT I.

wuwtou J. G. HUBBARD & W. R, WILSON.

MACHINE FOR MAKtNG EXPANDED SHEET METAL.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2. HHS

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2 FIG-.3

U MMMEW Zn award,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

aosnrri o. nunsaap AND WILLIAM R. WILSON, or younos'rowmorno.

MACHINE FOR MAKING EXPANDED SHEET METAL- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 14, 1915.

Application filed July 2, 1915. Serial n. 3 ,710.

To all whom it may concern Be-it known that we, Josnrn G. HUBBARD,

a citizen of the United States, and WILLIAM WI SO a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Youngstown, in the county of Mahouingand State of Ohio, havednvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Expanded Sheet Metal, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to an improvement I in machines for making expanded sheet metal, and has for its object to facilitate the operation of suchmachines in preparing the blank for thefinalste of expansion. I

The present type of devices used in' the development of slitted metal sheets of the character, for example, shown and described in the patentto Forsyth, No 862,897, dated August 13, 1907, are of such construction that they are of limited productive capacity. That is to say, the machinery now employed at one stage of-the process to punch or bend down the metal tongues formed by slitting and shearing elements, and thus prepare the metal blank for the-final expanding-step, is not capable of rapidly producing the desired result. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to provide means whereby the operations involved in the making of the product can be materially speeded.

- More particularly, the invention-contemplates a machine involving slitting and shearing elements coordinated with a specialbending or punching device, having novel means for bending or displacing the tongues of metal formed by the slitting and shearing elements downwardly at an angle from the flat plane of the sheet in a more rapid and practical mannerthan heretofore.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangeme' t of parts hereinafter more fully descri ed, illustrated and claimed;

- .,Although the general arrangement and details of thepreseut machine are susceptible of modification, the essential features of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of a machine in-' volving the pricsent invention; and showing the relative relation .of the slitting and:

shearing device to the bending device, together with the means for feeding the uncut sheet into the machine and delivering the prepared sheet from the. bending device so that it may be operated-upon by expandr ing devices not shown. Fig. 2 is a detail perspcctive view of the bender device in its open position. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the bender'device closed. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of a metal'sheet.

slitted to be bent by the present bending device. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the anvil and bearing bar assembly.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

As indicated, the present invention is chieflycentered in the novel construction and arrangement of theso-called bender device which is coordinated with mechanism to slit and shear the metal sheet, and which leaves thesame in' the proper. form to be acted upon by the subsequent expanding devices (not shown).

The bender device is designated genetlilly by the letter A, and it will be understood that the same operates in connection with a slitting and shearing device designated by B, and arranged as close to the device A as may be practicable to obtain the proper operatin connections therebetween.

Illustrating the expanded metal product by the Forsyth Patent No. 862,897, it is to be observed therefrom that themetal sheet S is provided with a plurality of narrow longitudinally'slitted sections or rows composed of a plurality of slitted units R each including a single central longitudi 'R are left an uncut portion U which provides a rib in the finished article.

This typeof slitted metal sheet is prepared by means of the slitting and shearing device designated B. This preferably 1ncludes a reciprocating ram head I'hnd 5 stationary die bed 2 arratked di tly beneath the same. The ram head 1 ca es a plural-j ity of slitting and shearing punches, which may be of any well .known desi adapted for this purpose; The knife-like slitting punches 3 are so arranged that they first form the longitudinal slit a: in the metal sheet S and as the same continues to pass through the machine, it is operated upon by the rectangular end of the s earin punches 4 which form the slits y and 2 at end of the slit 0:, as will be apparent. The stationary die bed 2 is provided with a suitable die block 5 and is also provided withthe usual yielding knock-out rake members 6 arranged directly beneath the shearing .punches 4 which free the metal tongues from the cutting punches, and thus insure a uniform feed for the sheet S through the machine. t

From the foregoing, it will of course be understood that-the slitting and "shearing device B initially prepares the metal sheet so that it assumes'the form shown in Fig. 4,

thus rendering the same ready for final treatment by the bending device A.

Referring now to the bending device A, it will be observed more particularly from Fig. '1 that the same essentially includes opposite frame members 7 having a guideway 8 in which is adapted to reciprocate a bende head 9. Directly beneath the bender head 9 and between the frame members 7, thereis also located a pair of spaced reversely arranged bearing bars 10 and 11 which are stationary in the bed of the bender device, and proyide' a guidew'ay G thcrebctween for a reciprocating anvil member 12.

The operating connections between the devices A and B can be best observed from Fig. 1, and by reference thereto, it will be observed. that the reciprocating ram head 1 carries at one side thereof a rigid arm member 13 which has journaled in. its lower end 14 a bearin pin 15 carried by the reciprocating bent or head 9. This construction, involving the arm 13 and bearing pin 1.3. is duplicated on the opposite side of the machine so as t form rcciproca i g movement. For the purpose of reciprocating the anvil member lif, to operate in conjunction with the bender head. there is'provided a bell crank lever 16, pivoted a" at 17 to tlieframc T of the bender device A, and connectcd at one end as at 18 with the ram head 1. while the other end loosely receives a'bcarin g pin '19 carried ive the bender head 9 a uni-.

jaw 20 Whichis preferably composed of a plurality of bending punches 21 clamped in position by means-of a suitable retaining device 22. These bending punches 21 have the adjacent inner faces of their working shanks 23 cut away as at 24, so that when the punches are setup in the jaw, they provide .a longitudinall arched central rtion 25 for ,the 'aw. he ad'acenfi ide aces 26 of these in iyidual punc members 21 are also similarly cut away to provide transverse ribclearing arches 27. While it is preferableto build this jaw QO-of the individual punch elements 21, it will. of course be understood that the same may be made integral so lo as the longitudinal arch 25 is reserved, an the pluraht of transverse arc es 27am also present. l owever, as the shanks 23 are to the special features. of the liable t1 *ecome broken durin the operation the bender head 9 includes the opposite bearing bars 10 and 11 and the reciprocatinganvil member 12.

As shown in Fig. 5, bar 10 carries at its upper part a plurality of inwardly extending fingers 28', the intervening portions being cut away to providethe recesses 35 which receive the bending punches 21 in their operating movement. liar 11 carries similar inwar l v'extcnding fingers 28 once that the cutawayportions are continued t rough the upright web portion 11" of the bar to provide the freeway or tongue-clearing s )aces 30 to permit the passage of the bent (own tongues T of the metal fabric, in addition to the recesses to receive the punches 21 as explained with reference to bar 10. The inner ends 'ofthe opposing fingers 28 and 28' are immediately adjacent the opposite sides of the clamping and spacing rib 32 when in its upper or working position, as hereinafter explained. thus affor-ding continuous bearingsfor the uncut rib portions ll of the 'sheet. 4,

By reference to FigsQ and; 3 it will be observed that the reciprocating anvil member 12 is provided with a single centrally disposed upstanding sheet-clampin and spacing rib 3:2 which extends longitu inally through the length of the anvil 1'2, and on opposite sides of this rib arethe anvil surfaces Ill.

it will be observed that fingers 28 and 28' have been omitted from the ex osed ends of 1 and ll in l igszandllino diaclo e, no

ting and shearing can take'place in the proper order. ,Accordingly, the prepared sheet is advanced into and through the bender device A, between the members 9 and 12 in the same manner. Assuming that the sheet prepared as shown in Fig. 4 has been fed into the machine to such point that the uncut ribs U of the first two units R thereof span the distance between the opposite bearin bars 10 and 11, it will be apparent that't ese two units are directly beneath the spaced punchclements 21 of the jaw 20. The machine being in operation,

and the ram head 1 of the slitting and shearing device B moving, it will of course be clear that the bender head 9, carrying the bending jaw 20, and the reciprocating anvil member 12 will be actuated through the connections described. That is to say, as the ram head moves down an slits and shears a portion of the metal sheet in the device B,

the jaw 20 of the bending head 2 will move downwardly, the anvil member 12 will move upwardly, and the punches 21 will bend down the portion of the metal bounded by the slits y, z and apart of the slit :0 of the following a jacent unit R, and thus form the depending tongues T. This action of the jaw 20 and anvil 12 forms the tongues T, with an angular footportion T, as

. shown, and it will be apparent that each through the bendin time the jaw 20 and anvil 12 come together two tongues are struck down in each row R of the metal sheet. Thus, the sheet is more rapidly prepared than if only one tongue was formed by each operation. When the tongues are bei formed from the metal sheet, the uncut rib ortions U between the rows R rest 'upon t e bearin bar 10, the fingers 28, the rib 32 and the ngers or ribs 28. After the tongues have been formed, the jaw 20 and anvil member 12 recede or separate, sothat the longitudinal clamping rib 32 on the anvil 12 will drop below the plane of the bottom ed 0 of the freeway s aces 30 between the n ers or ribs 28", t us makin it possible or the tongues formed behind the rib 32 to pass freely device by way of the freeway spaces 30. t is obvious that if the anvil member 12 was not arranged to recipro'cate in such manner as to draw the rib 32 down clear of the bottom edges of the freeway spaces 30, the last tongue ofeach pair formed would engage with the side wall of the rib 32, and thus prevent the sheet from advancing through the bender device. However, this possibility is eliminated by the movement of the jaw 20 and anvil 12 being properly timed to recede previous to the advancing of the sheet in the direction of the arrow shown'in Figs. 2 and 3. After a pair of tongues have been struck down from the metal sheet, two more units R in the orig inal plane of the sheet are advanced into position, and the bendingjaw and anvil member again come together to displace the tongues as shown in the drawings. Thus, it will be apparent that this operation is repeated during the entire working of the machine, rapidly and positively forming the tongues in pairs, economizing time and increasing the capacity of the machine.

lFrom the foregoing, it is thought that the many features and advantages of invention will be readily apparent, and it will of course be understood that minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or scope of the appended claims.

\Ve claim:

1. A metal working machine comprising a slitting andshearing device, a bender device including oppositely working upper and lower bending elements, and spaced bars forming a guideway for the lower bending element, and also providing supporting and guiding means for the metal sheet being operated upon.

2. A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device and a bender; device, said bender device including an up per reciprocal 'iaw member having a central longitudinally arched portion, and a lower reciprocating anvil. memberhaving a single longitudinally arranged upstanding rib and depressed anvil faces at the sides of the rib.

3. A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device and a bender device, said bender device comprising an upper jaw member having a plurality of longitddinally arranged bendingelements with a longitudinal arch therebetween, and a lower reciprocating anvil member having a single longitudinally arrangef upstanding rim and opposite anvil faces.

4. A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device and a bender device, said bender device including an upribs in alinement withthe transverse arches a slitting and shearing device, a reciprocat'r in said; upper jaw member.

5. A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device and a bender device, said bender device including an upper jaw member comprising a plurality of longitudinally and transverselv spaced bending punch elements. a lower anvil member working in oppositionto said upper jaw member. a single longitudinal F'll'I on, said anvil member. and bearing bars arranged on opposite sides of said anvil member. each of said bars having spaced fingers or ribs in alinement with the transverse spaces be tween said bending punches. and the spaces between said fingers or ribs being in alinement with said bending punches.

t ill metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device and a bender device. said bender device including an upper jaw member comprising a plurality of longitudinally and transversely spaced bending punch elements. a lower anvil member working in opposition to said upper jaw member. a single longitudinal rib on said anvil member. and bearing bars arranged on opposite sides of said anvil-member, each of said bars having fingers or ribs, with tongue clearance spaces therebetween on one of said bars. and means for drawing said reciprocating anvil member downwardly so that the rib thereof clears the bottom of said tongue clearance spaces.

7. A metal working machin comprising a slitting and shearing device. a bending device including oppositely working bending elements, and separate connections be tween said-slitting and shearing device and said bending device for operating the bending elements in opposite directions.

A metal working machine comprising ing ram head associated with said slitting and shearing device. a bender device, upper and lower bending elements mounted to reciprocate in said bending device, a rigid connection between said ram head and said upper bending element. and a bell crank connection between said ram head and said lower bending element. I

S A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device. a reciprocating ram head associated with said slitting andshearing device, a bender device includ ing a frame having guide means. upper and low r bending elements mounted to reciprocate in said guide means. a rigid arm connectmg said ram head and said upper bending element. and a bell crank pivoted to the framework of the bender device. and having one of its ends connected to said ram bead and the other connected to said lower bending element.

10. A metal working machine comprising a slitting and shearing device. a bendin device including reciprocating bending elements. connections between said slitting and shearing device and said bender device for operatingtlie reciprocating elements of the latter. means for feeding a metal sheet to said slitting and shearing device. and means for delivering the sheet from the bending device after being operated upon by the bending elements thereof.

In testimonv whereof we hereunto affix our signatures in the presence of two wit nesses.

JOSEPH G. HUBBARD. WILLIAM R. \VILSON. Witnesses Homes T. SMITH, \Y. P. WIEGERLYG. 

